


Quantum

by cuddler_of_words



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-04
Updated: 2015-07-26
Packaged: 2018-04-02 20:13:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4072906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cuddler_of_words/pseuds/cuddler_of_words
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daniel meets SG1's alternates. Set during season 9's Ripple Effect.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Staring in the Mirror

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A series of vignettes that explore some of the possible SG1 alternates that could have appeared in Ripple Effect if only the writers had been a bit more adventurous.

It’s a strange feeling, like staring at the mirror or looking at your reflection in the glass-clear surface of a lake. Like talking to somebody’s twin and seeing the same gestures, inflections; the way they hold themselves when they’re scared and the way they laugh at their own joke, but it’s distorted like a circus mirror, something just underneath that jars you when a thought goes off on a tangent you weren’t expecting or there’s a cruel look where there used to be kindness.

          Daniel’s interview with the alternate version of himself that has come through the gate goes off without a hitch but he stares at this new OtherDaniel almost owlishly the entire time. It’s surreal to watch all of his little habits played back in front of him: the way he hangs his head, the way he pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose, the way that his tongue flicks out to wet his lips. Like looking at a reflection that’s half a beat in front while simultaneously lagging just fractions of a second behind.

          As far as he can work out there are no major differences between this alternate’s universe and his own. Their Jack became a General about month later than his Jack did, OtherDaniel wrote his anthropology thesis on one of the subjects that he had decided against, their Kinsey was still alive and had been spotted by the Tok’ra, presumably still snaked and at large. He walks out of the interrogation room feeling like his head has been dunked into a bucket of ice water. The whole experience brings back memories of his double from Harlan’s planet, the one that died to save the lives of his friends. Daniel had always regretted not meeting him again but he can still remember that first time, back in the lab, looking up into his own face. He remembers the double bending over him and taking the tape off his mouth with a hesitant touch, remembers that the two of them had talked almost constantly for the next hour or so before his Jack had marched his SG1 back through the gate. They had gotten along well, he and his robot clone, but he finds it hard to relate to this OtherDaniel. He makes him uneasy.

 

o.O.o

 

          Sam catches Daniel in the commissary a little after their latest briefing and together they bemoan today’s lack of blue jello while he makes an attempt at stomaching the chicken schnitzel that tastes suspiciously like beef. He’s managed to eat half of it before she finally brings up their alternates.

          “Don’t you think it’s odd, how everyone expects us to get along?” Daniel asks her as he spears his schnitzel with his fork.

          “Not really, I think I got along with myself just fine.” Sam admits.

          “Yeah, but you two have something to work on together.”

          “You didn’t talk to your alternate about, I dunno, mythology and legends?”

          “We share all the same opinions. It makes for a pretty quick conversation.”

          “I guess.” Sam concedes, tapping at her disappointingly red jello with her spoon to make it jiggle.

          “Having any luck at finding a way to send them back?” Daniel asks.

          “We have a couple of theories.” Sam says, and Daniel lets the words wash over him. It’s nice to hear Sam talk about science, familiar in a way that eases the tension, grounded in laws and facts. He only understands about half of it but by the time Sam finishes she’s worked her way through the jello and she’s looking just a little bit more relaxed than before.

 


	2. Familiar

The next few teams that come through the gate are just variations of the same: Mitchell leading SG1, Sam, Teal’c, and himself following close behind. General Landry still insists that Daniel take part in the interviews and he ends up swapping between himself and OtherMitchell’s or sometimes interviewing both. Again, only small differences. He struggles through the interviews with his alternates, finding each one more eerie than the last, finding that it’s harder and harder to relate to their shared experiences because so many of the little differences have changed between universes, the degrees of separation becoming further and further apart. It’s easier to interview the Mitchell’s. They’re loud and boisterous and their accent comes across reassuringly thick whenever they get excited. Occasionally he gets to interview an OtherTeal’c, although not before his own Teal’c does. It’s comforting to know that Teal’c’s quiet gravitas is a constant. No silence is too loud or uncomfortable. The OtherTeal’c’s may not trust him completely, but they do respect him like an old lost friend. He doesn’t get to interview any of the Sam’s.

          It’s almost strange when he’s in the gateroom as a new wormhole establishes and he sees Jack step through. They frown at each other through the glass, and as Jack looks around his frown deepens.

          "Carter!” He barks. “We’re not in Kansas anymore!”

 

o.O.o

 

General Landry didn’t hesitate before shuttling Daniel off to interview OtherJack but Daniel takes the liberty of stopping by the commissary for coffee first because heaven knows they’ll probably both need a strong cup each. When he reaches the interrogation room Jack’s posture is deceptively relaxed, a calm that hides the tensely coiled storm despite Jack’s usual screw-the-rules-I’m-Jack-O’Neill slouch. Daniel sets Jack’s coffee mug down on the table and takes a sip from his own as he pulls out the chair. Jack eyes the mug and reaches out for it, wrapping it in his hands but not drinking.

          “So.” Daniel starts.

          “So.” Jack parrots. Daniel lets out a well-worn sigh.

          “How did you get here?” He tries again.

          “Not sure. One minute I’m shooting at a Prior, the next I’m in an alternate reality. It’s confusing.”

          “Tell me about it.”

          “You got the Carters workin’ on sending us back?”

          “They’re probably figuring something out as we speak.”

          “Cool.” Jack said, finally bringing the mug up to his lips and taking a deep sip. Daniel drops his gaze to his own mug, to his own long fingers looped through the handle and the warmth of the cheap ceramic against his palms.

          “So I’m a Brigadier General here.” Jack says conversationally.

          “You got promoted just before Elizabeth left for Atlantis.” Daniel nods and flicks his eyes back up. It’s so odd seeing this Jack in fatigues, not his dress blues.

          “Back at my SGC they just re-instated Hammond.” Jack admits.

          “So nothing’s changed?” Daniel asks.

          “No, not really.” Jack says with a smile, but Daniel knows his Jack well and he spots the bitterness OtherJack hides in his eyes.

 

o.O.o

 

One more interview with a Mitchell-led SG1 team later, Daniel is walking to General Landry’s office when he hears talking inside. He goes to knock but the voices bring him up short.

          “I don’t know what to say, Jack.” Landry’s voice is muffled but clear enough.

          “Nothing you _can_ say, Hank.” Jack’s voice replies, tired and drawn.

          “You can’t get help from someone? What about the Tok’ra?”

          “They can’t offer anything but blending at the moment, and I’m not going through that again. The first time was bad enough, I… I can’t. I just can’t.”

          “… How long?”

          “Could be a couple of days, could be a couple of years. Nothing short of a miracle is gonna help though.”

          “I’m sorry.”

          “Ironic though, isn’t it? All these years fighting Goa’uld and its cancer that finally gets me.”

          Daniel jerks back from the door, the words a white flash in the back of his brain, and he stumbles down the corridor. It’s only when he makes it back to the pressing quiet of his on-base quarters before he feels his heart finally begin to calm.


	3. Once Forgotten, Twice As Hard

He feigns business every time the klaxons sound. Not that this is hard to manage, actually, because he always has a backlog of books and articles that he needs to read and there are piles of them balanced precariously on whatever flat surface is available. This work is a good, dependable normality that’s seen him through all sorts of weirdness that SG1 has accidentally brought back to base with them.

          Daniel first buries himself in the latest archaeological journals, keeping tabs on any nasty Goa’uld surprises that might possibly be left lying around on Earth to be found by the unwary archaeologist, and after finishing them he moves on to a large and dusty book filled with lovingly re-drawn copies of ancient papyrus scrolls that he uses to reference some of his language notes. Sure, the Goa’uld have been thoroughly usurped by the Ori as the main source of trouble in the galaxy but there’s a certain comfort in the familiarity of them.

          He doesn’t look up when General Landry comes to the door, knocking politely and then pointedly clearing his throat, and when Landry enters the room despite Daniel’s posture screaming “leave me alone” Daniel tries to politely shoo him away by pointing him in Mitchell’s direction. But Landry isn’t buying it, even seems particularly eager for him to take on an interview and his calm insistence that, “Yes Doctor Jackson, you will want to meet this one”, doesn’t banish the jitters so he concedes and lets Landry usher him out of the room. They meeting Teal’c along the way and Landry just smiles as they both fall into step behind him. Daniel can feel his stomach knotting as they approach the door and tries to brace himself against the sense of impending anxiety but nothing could have prepared him for the shock of seeing Janet Fraiser standing at the other end of the room, calm and smiling and very much alive.

          The memory comes back to him in a vivid flash, sweaty fingers fumbling with the video recorder before the shot of the staff blast and the hollow look in Janet’s dead eyes and his throat hoarse from screaming. He’d had the occasional nightmare afterwards but what had truly lingered was the smell: the wet mulch of the forest floor mixed with the sterile tang of medicine and fresh blood and then the horrible charcoal smell of charred flesh that had haunted him so badly that he’d still been able to smell it days after the funeral, had woken up with more than a few cold sweats absolutely certain that the smell was coming from him.  
When he blinks back to reality he sees this Other(alive, alive, _alive_ )Janet is looking at him fondly and once he’s able to get over the shock both he and Teal’c pull up chairs and start the interview. Daniel almost makes the mistake of getting comfortable as Janet drops another alternate-universe-induced bombshell by telling him that Martouf is still alive and well and working with SG1 and he sits through the remainder trying and failing to untangle the nervous knot in his gut.

 

o.O.o

 

Hours after the interview has finished Daniel’s back in his office elbow deep in books and rubbing at his tired eyes. The words have started to blur on the page and swim around like the fish in the tank behind him. He tries for a little longer, heading down to the commissary to grab a cup of coffee and then settling back down to work, but finally gives up when he jerks awake with his head pillowed by his journal and an aching crick in his neck. 

          His mattress is comfortably firm and the sheets are soft and smooth and just when he thinks he might get a decent night’s sleep he realises that the smell is back and clinging to his skin.


	4. Lost

Her name is Ayani and she strikes Daniel as a blend of Teal’c’s calming gravitas and Jack’s irreverent humour. She is dark-skinned and dark-haired and built like a Jaffa, covered head to toe in a swirl of white tattoos that form a long spiral up the side of her neck and disappear into her hairline and dust her bare arms like freckles. It seems that every tattoo is matched by a scar. She holds herself with her back straight and her feet firm on the floor, her eyes flicking towards every unfamiliar sound and her fingers occasionally brush at her side where the empty strap for a weapon sits. She also holds the dubious honour of being a member of SG1 despite the fact that he has never met her counterpart in this universe. A first after all of the familiar alternates.

          “We met thanks to you, actually. Technically.” She explains when he asks her about it. “I was with a rebel group, we were orbiting Ba’al’s stronghold when Lord Yu attacked. I ringed down to see what I could find before the whole place went up in and found Jack along the way.”

          They chat for a little while longer and she talks more than he does. She asks questions about the Ori and what they’ve learned, lets out a harsh barking laugh when he tells her about the Prior that Mitchell killed on the Sodan home world, reminisces with a cold smile about the many Goa’uld that both their teams have killed. Daniel feels more comfortable around her than he does with his own alternates. Possibly just a little less uneasy. There’s no disquieting sensation of the comfortable familiar blending with the utterly foreign and she talks and laughs like she has nothing to hide. But there’s a sharp edge under her smile, something sly and dangerous that stops him warming to her completely.  
Eventually there’s nothing else to say so he tells her that the interview is over and lets the guard outside lead her back to the guest room that her team minus their Carter is holed up in. He watches her straight back and slight limp as she walks away and feels guiltily relieved when she is out of sight.

 

o.O.o

 

It had taken some convincing but during the interview Ayani had divulged two gate addresses: one for her home planet, which she lovingly described as being “a little hung up on tradition but still pretty nice”, and one for the planet of the rebels that she worked with before joining the SGC. Daniel goes to Walter with them and they run cross-references in the database. It turns out he’s visited Ayani’s home planet, Pandaras, and actually made first contact with SG1 about a year ago. When he drags out the memory he remembers soft afternoon light and the lazy haze of summer heat and the surprising cool burst of an ocean breeze against his face. After asking around he finds out that SG21 are regular visitors on a cultural exchange mission with the tribe that Ayani claims to hail from, who are located almost a week’s walk away from the Stargate, in a heavily forested area to the south of the continent. Her people appear to be descended from an interbreeding between the locals and some Nox settlers and offer a valuable insight into Nox culture, diluted as it may be. When he asks SG21’s leader if they know of an Ayani he’s not surprised to find out that they’ve never heard of her.

          The second planet also turns up a match. Ayani had described it enthusiastically as a lush forest rich with natural resources and full of hidden traps for the unwary traveller, and it’s a surprise to Daniel to find out that he remembers the gate address: it was one of the first planets SG1 visited. It’s just a shame he remembers it as a barren wasteland.


	5. Whiplash

The next time Daniel is persuaded by General Landry to take on interview it’s almost ten in the evening and he was right in the middle of making some good headway into his constant backlog of reports and translations. He is jolted out of concentration by his name being called over the speakers, “Doctor Jackson please report to interview room three, Doctor Jackson to interview room three”, and groans loudly and rolls his eyes and considers ignoring the message and barricading the door to his office instead. Not that it would do much good, they’d probably just have Siler cut it open with a troop of marines waiting to drag him out for good measure.

          Daniel grumbles to himself as shuts his laptop with a little more force than strictly necessary and walks out into the corridor and slips into the elevator, pressing the button for the commissary’s level because if he’s going to have to do another interview he’s at least going to be properly caffeinated first. When he strides in he sees a few of the alternate SG1’s milling around, a group of Carters looking up and waving to him when he passes their table and an alternate Cameron with his team hovering outside the desserts display case. He heads over to the coffee machine and hits the buttons and watches as the dark liquid streams into his cup. A few drops splash over the rim of the cup and wet Daniel’s hand and he sucks his fingers into his mouth absentmindedly.

          “Doctor Jackson, please report to interview room three, repeat, Doctor Jackson, please report to interview room three.” Comes the voice over the loudspeaker again.

          “Alright alright, I heard you the first time!” Daniel sighs. One of the Carters catches his eye and gives him a sympathetic smile before returning to her work.

          "Someone’s popular today.” Says a voice from behind and Daniel is surprised when he looks over his shoulder to see Ferretti walk in.

          “You have a funny definition of popular.” Daniel replies. Ferretti walks over to take a mug and join him. The man looks exhausted, deep shadows under his eyes and dirt under his fingernails. He leans closer to Daniel’s coffee inhales the scent.

          Daniel and Ferretti had never been as close as Daniel is to the rest of SG1 but they still shared a friendship, forged by sand and staff blasts. They say hello to each other in the hallways and Jack would occasionally invite them around for a night of beer and hockey that inevitably turned into a night reminiscing about Abydos and the people they lost along the way. Jack keeps promising to invite them both over to Washington, but he’s been making the same promise to Daniel and Sam and Teal’c since they day he emptied his office and Daniel’s hardly holding his breath about it.

          “Big day?” Daniel asks as his stream of coffee slows to a drip.

          "You bet. Priors, disagreeable Jaffa, more Priors. Lots of running.” Ferretti sighs, tapping his foot impatiently while Daniel removes his mug and then slips his own in.

          “Sounds fun.”

          “Yeah, well, the pay could be better.”

          “You could take up a desk job.”

          “At least it’d be better than getting shot at.”

          They stare at each other for a second and then burst into laughter. The Carters stare over at them like they’re mad, which isn’t such a farfetched assumption really, and one of Cameron’s team shoots them a glare.

          “Oh please, I’d die before I quit this joint!” Ferreti gasps with laughter.

          "Shush, don’t jinx yourself!” Daniel splutters.

          “Like you can talk!” Ferretti counters and they both double over with a fresh bout of laughter.

          Eventually Daniel straightens up and retrieves his mug from the counter, trying not to giggle when he takes a sip from shaking fingers. Ferretti follows his lead and grabs his own mug, cradling it between his fingers and looking content.

          “Doctor Jackson!”

          Daniel groans internally when he hears General Landry’s voice from across the room.

          “On my way, General, just wanted to wake up a little.” Daniel called over, raising his coffee mug as evidence. Landry shoots him a weary look but there’s fondness behind it.

          “I better get going.” Daniel says.

          “Yeah, see you around.” Ferretti nods. Daniel pats his shoulder as he passes and then heads off across the room to meet with Landry.

          “Now that you’re caffeinated I hope you’re ready to take another interview.” Landry says as they walk.

          “As ready as I’ll ever be.” Daniel mutters and takes a long sip from his mug.

 

o.O.o

 

When they reach the interview room Landry opens the door and gestures Daniel inside to come face to face with himself. Again.

          “I’ll let you two get started.” Landry says, and then leaves them alone. This new OtherDaniel is a little fidgety, pacing back and forth and tapping his fingers against his thighs.

          “Something wrong?” Daniel asks as he pulls up a chair.

          “I’m fine,” his alternate assures him. “Just nervous. The timing of this whole alternate universe thing is awful.”

          “Well, you know Murphy’s Law. Missing out on something important?” Daniel asks.

          “Only the birth of my child.” The OtherDaniel replies with a grin.

          “What?” Daniel’s brain feels like it’s jerked to a halt.

          “Timing’s not great, obviously, Sha’re’s due any day now.” OtherDaniel’s practically beaming and it’s all Daniel can do to keep smiling even though he feels like his whole world is about to shake itself apart. It’s a miracle he doesn’t drop his coffee.


	6. Ghosting

This Jonas is a little more serious than he remembers, hair longer and shoulders broader, but seeming more relaxed in his own skin. Granted, Daniel hadn’t know his own universe’s Jonas for all that long before he had re-joined SG1 and Jonas had headed home, but he had known him well enough to see the enthusiasm, watch his eyes light up when he talked about SG1 and the things that they’d done together. Jonas was a man who revelled in new experiences and what better job was there to satisfy that wanderlust than exploring a whole galaxy?

          Daniel doesn’t know what’s changed in him, probably never will, but there’s something more subdued about him now like his personality has been dampened with a wet cloth. He’s still as polite as he used to be though, and as they talk together OtherJonas is calm and informative and answers all of the questions that he is given.

          “This is so bizarre,” OtherJonas says to himself with a small shake of his head when they come to a pause in conversation.

          “Oh?” Daniel asks, flicking absently at a pile of notes and looking up at OtherJonas’ face.

          “It’s nothing, just… It’s my first time in an alternate universe.” OtherJonas says, his grin wide enough to show off his gums.

 

o.O.o

 

Never enough time in the day. Daniel knows that he’s falling behind on his reports and he’s been ignoring some of the artefacts that SG11 had left for him to study in favour of a small tablet that SG20 had begrudgingly handed over to him because their English is good and their Russian is better but their Ancient isn’t exactly up to par. It’s a thin block of pearly grey stone and the more Daniel translates the more it reads like a diary entry as the writer talks about meditation and daily chores and a little of what seems suspiciously like village gossip. He barely hears the first knock on his door, so deep is he buried in his reference books. The knock comes again and he calls out a greeting and doesn’t look up when the door is open until he hears a polite cough and looks up to see OtherJonas standing awkwardly in the doorway.

          “Jonas, hi.” He says, taking off his glasses and rubbing at tired eyes.

          “I’m not disturbing you, am I?” OtherJonas asks and Daniel’s brain says yes but his mouth says “No” and so OtherJonas edges a little further into the room. He wanders around looking at the artefacts gathered on the shelves and the books stacked according to a reference system that only Daniel knows. Daniel watches out of the corner of his eye until he sees OtherJonas reaching out towards a small shard of amber that he’d been given by the locals of P3X-197 that happens to be particularly fragile.

          “Did you want something?” Daniel asks, a little more sharply than he’d intended.

          “Uh, well,” OtherJonas says, his hand jerking back. “It’s a bit boring down in the guest rooms. Company’s good but nothing to do, you know?”

          “Well I’ve got some translating that I could probably use a hand with.” Daniel gestures at a pile on the far end of his desk. He’s been having trouble with the grammar and a fresh pair of eyes might help him get through it quicker. OtherJonas jumps at the offer and heads straight towards the pile. When he picks up the first one Daniel points him over to the relevant reference materials and then OtherJonas drags over a stool and settles himself in. They work together in easy silence on either side of the desk, the only sounds between them the rustle of paper and Daniel muttering to himself as he works.

          “You didn’t come back.”

          Daniel jerks his head up from a blurry photograph when OtherJonas speaks. OtherJonas hasn’t moved, still leafing through a book, eyes down and flicking right to left as he reads.

          “Back in my universe you ascended, but you never retook human form.” He continues. “Anubis went after the eye of Ra and I thought we were all going to die but he just… stopped. Nobody had any idea what happened, and when Anubis’ Jaffa left Abydos we thought we’d had a run of good luck and just moved on, but now… I think you stopped him.” OtherJonas looks up and gives Daniel a wry smile. “I think you stopped Anubis the same way your Oma stopped him here.”

          “You think I engaged him in eternal conflict?” Daniel frowns.

          “Well I don’t think it was Oma. And I know you would have done anything you could to save Abydos and its people.” OtherJonas says. Daniel doesn’t answer, can’t get the words past the lump in his throat.

 

o.O.o

 

Later, when OtherJonas is rubbing his eyes and trying to stifle his yawns behind the sleeves of his jacket, Daniel stands from his desk and decides that that’s enough for one day, looks at his watch, and realises that it’s half past two in the morning. No wonder it had gotten so quiet.

          “At least some things don’t change.” OtherJonas grins when Daniel tells him the time, this time not bothering to hide his yawn.

          Daniel and OtherJonas leave together and walk side by side without a word. They pass a few of the night staff who give them odd looks but Daniel is used to being thought of occasionally as some kind of spectre roaming the halls of the SGC in the depths of night and he forges on ahead and if OtherJonas notices he doesn’t say anything. They’re in the lift and the doors are opening on the floor housing the guest quarters when the klaxons begin to shriek along with the announcement of _unscheduled-offworld-activation_ and Daniel and OtherJonas glance at each other and then they are backpedalling back into the lift and heading down to floor 28 with the press of a button. They make it to the observation room as the iris is retracted and Mitchell walks through the event horizon, dirty and sweaty and bleeding from a gash across his pant leg.

          “SG1’s IDC. Again.” Walter says from his chair before Daniel can open his mouth and Daniel knows that Mitchell is currently at home and asleep so here we go again. OtherMitchell is followed quickly by an OtherTeal’c and an OtherSam who look a little disgruntled and OtherSam has thin green leaves and small brown twigs caught up in her hair like she’s either run through a bush or had a visit with the Nox. The last person through is an OtherJonas, not so much to Daniel’s surprise because nothing much can surprise him at this point (it’s surprising in itself how often he tells himself that really) but he can practically feel the OtherJonas at his side tensing up.

          OtherTeal’c seems to notice first that something is amiss when he looks up and sees a Jonas that he hasn’t come through the gate with. He bends across to say something to OtherSam who flicks her eyes up, frowns, then says something to OtherMitchell, who then looks up at Daniel and OtherJonas and utters a loud “Huh. Well, I’ll be damned.” that makes their OtherJonas let out a loud and very nervous laugh.

          “Might want to get someone down here.” Daniel says to Walter as he moves over towards the desk.

          “I’ll call the General right away.” Walter sighs, and only seems a little annoyed when Daniel nudges him out of the way so that he can get to the intercom.

          “Hi there,” he calls down and sees four pairs of eyes snap towards him. “Look, it’s kinda late here so I’m just gonna cut to the chase. You’re in an alternate universe.” Sam’s eyes light up and she prods Mitchell excitedly, the microphones in the gateroom picking up her enthusiastic technobabble.

          “No offence, but why should I believe you?” Mitchell calls up to them, eyes narrowing but his body language still on the calm side.

          “Just give us a couple of minutes, we’ll have someone down here to explain.” Daniel says, fighting not to roll his eyes. Bed, for once, is looking great right about now.  
Daniel and OtherJonas wait while Walter makes a few calls and the newest version of SG1 is escorted out of the gateroom. Phone calls are made, words are exchanged, and eventually Daniel is roped into interviewing all four new arrivals with Teal’c because Mitchell is enviably asleep in his own bed and Sam is still busy with the OtherSam’s.

          “Can I come too?” OtherJonas asks, having hovered quietly by Daniel’s side the entire time and being almost painfully enthusiastic about the whole ordeal. The glint of wonder that Daniel remembers so well from Jonas is back but again it’s like a smudge of what used to be, like there’s a sadness that OtherJonas just can’t shake. “Hey, it’s not every day that you get to interview yourself” OtherJonas says when Daniel shoots him a bemused look.

          “Fine. You get to interview yourself and then you swap out with Teal’c and go back to your quarters, because as far as I know the General still considers you a minor security threat and I haven’t had enough sleep to argue about it.” Daniel sighs.

          The two OtherJonas’ greet each other with an enthusiasm that makes Daniel want to grind his teeth and makes him wish he’d stopped for something caffeinated on the way up. He starts off with a couple of basic questions that the OtherOtherJonas answers happily and then OtherJonas takes over and the two are chatting amicably as they compare their lives both on Langara and at the SGC. But all the while Daniel can’t help noticing that the _Other_ OtherJonas (and he’s going to get very tired of differentiating them like that very, very quickly) is shooting him curious glances and his smile falters just a bit every time they make eye contact. Eventually his curiosity gets the better of him and he calls the OtherOtherJonas up on it and watches as a redness blooms on his cheeks and spreads outwards like an ink spill on paper.

          “Sorry, it’s just so bizarre seeing you here.” OtherOtherJonas admits.

          “What do you mean?” Daniel asks. He swears that there’s a fog headache rolling in behinds his eyes.

          “In my universe, you’re dead.”

          “Dead.” Daniel repeats. It sounds funny, so final after all of his near misses.

          “Radiation poisoning.” OtherOtherJonas admits. “You just... died.”

          Daniel can still remember the pain after all these years. The slow ache like a sunburn that had started in his fingers before spreading throughout his body before rapidly descending into a complete and total agony like nothing he had ever felt before.

          There is a long silence, both OtherJonas’ watching him with matching nervous expressions.

          “Okay. I think we’re finished here.” Daniel says finally, unable to shake the tingling in his fingers.


	7. Kingdom of Hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's dedicated to the anon reviewer who gave me the suggestion.

Most of the alternates up until now haven’t surprised him, really. It’s just repeating strings of Mitchell—Sam—Teal’c—Daniel ever since the first team came through and the SGC is starting to run out of room to accommodate them all. He’ll admit that seeing Martouf was odd, though, a little shock to the system amongst all the familiar faces, and couple of SG1’s have come through sans everyone but OtherMitchell’s, a whole team of fresh faces, people that Daniel has never met and maybe never will.

          So when Daniel walks down the hall on the way to the mess, nose buried in a book and slipping around other moving bodies on autopilot and finally his luck runs out as he turns a corner and crashes into someone, book dropping from his grip as he falls flat on his ass, it’s with genuine surprise that he looks up into the face of Alexi Vaselov. Daniel’s first though is slack-jawed panic, that somehow Anubis is back and walking the base, but then he gives himself a mental slap and pulls himself forwards trying his best to look appropriately embarrassed.

          “The halls of the SGC are a dangerous place for bookworms, Doctor Jackson.” OtherAlexi says with a smirk. He extends his hand and it feels solid and warm when Daniel takes it. The hallway is still thick with human traffic but they seem to have found their own little bubble amidst the masses, airmen and technicians and officers passing by with deft steps to the side. It had confused him, back in the early days, when he fell straight back into his college habit of seeking out food without putting his book down, that he could move around the SGC on autopilot and with a stark lack of bodily injury. At first he had thought it was just a military thing, a hypervigilance, then after a few years Sam had finally admitted to him in hushed and exasperated tones that Jack had made a point of informing each new recruit he came across to avoid Daniel when he roamed the halls or risk severe bruising.

          “Would I be correct in assuming you are the Doctor Jackson of this universe?” OtherAlexi asks, eyeing Daniel critically.

          “Good guess,” Daniel replies. “What tipped you off?” “You walk like you own the place.” OtherAlexi says with a knowing smirk.

          “… Right.” Daniel concedes, casting a glance around for his book. He spots it a few paces away, protected from errant footsteps by a little nook of concrete and pipes.

          “You look as if you have seen a ghost.” OtherAlexi comments.

          “Funny you should say that…” Daniel mutters.

          “Although I should say it is nice to run into a friendly face.” OtherAlexi continues. “I have had the misfortune of meeting a few of the counterpart Colonel O’Neil’s, and they have all made sure to tell me that in their own respective universes I am dead.”

          “Doesn’t look like it’s bothered you much.” Daniel says as he slips past a group of marines to retrieve his book.

          “And for good reason. Do I look dead to you?” OtherAlexi grins proudly. “Besides, informing them that I lead the SG1 of my own universe was enough to shut them up.”

          “Well, it’s a comfort to know that Jack can be an ass in any universe.” Daniel says with a wry smile. “So, where were you off to before I… uh… got in your way?”

          “Nowhere really. I was restless.” OtherAlexi replies.

          “Well, I was going to grab some food, if you want to join me.” Daniel offers. OtherAlexi looks like he’s thinking it over, his gaze falling somewhere in the distance and his brow creasing just slightly.

          “No, I think I will leave you to your lunch. I think maybe a visit to the gym is in order.”

          “Oh, okay then.” Daniel says, then adding earnestly, “It was nice seeing you.”

          “You too, Doctor Jackson.”


	8. The Long Forever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is the reason that I started this fic and I just find it funny that it's ended up being second to last.

Mitchell comes to fetch him personally. That is, he waits in the doorway and hums and makes annoying noises and Daniel tries to ignore him until Mitchell actually starts drumming on the doorframe.

          “Okay, I get it! I’m coming!” He sighs, slamming his book shut and pushing his glasses up his nose.

          “Got one last alternate SG1 that’ve come through, and Landry wants you to do the interview before we haul off to solve this mess tomorrow afternoon.” Mitchell grins, trotting by his side like a puppy.

          “Anyone in particular?” Daniel asks, but Mitchell is evasive. He just grins and keeps walking. Keeps humming too, all the way to the interview rooms, which is a considerable distance, and Daniel can pick out every quaint little country-twang ditty that Mitchell hums along the way.

          “Have fun in there.” Mitchell says as he opens the door and makes a gallant gesture. Daniel frowns at him and walks into the room. There’s a woman sitting at the desk, resting her chin on one hand and the way that her black hair falls over her face makes Daniel think for a split second that he’s been brought in to interview an OtherVala, but then he sees her face, really sees it as she looks up and it’s like nothing exists but the two of them. Nothing but him staring at Sha’re and her staring right back.

          The ache starts in his chest, a longing that spreads and spreads, the tears well in his eyes and he can’t stop them, doesn’t want to. He can see that she’s starting to cry too, they’re both crying ugly tears and then she practically vaults over the table to launch herself into his arms. She doesn’t smell like she used to, the scent of sand is gone from her skin and nothing of the desert wind lingers in her hair, but she feels familiar. Warm and solid and shaking. Daniel hears Mitchell cough from the doorway, an awkward cough, a “you two need to get a room right now” cough, but she’s cupping his face in her palms and pulling him down and they melt together. The world just fades away.

 

o.O.o

 

Over the space of the few remaining hours before the mission Daniel wanders around the base finishing things up before another long stint in space. As he does he ends up walking into a locker room populated by a few OtherDaniels, OtherMitchells, and three OtherTeal’cs; runs into a group of OtherSam’s walking between his office and his on-base quarters; meets an OtherJack on the way to the briefing room; and beats a hasty retreat from the mess when he spots a lone OtherVala lurking by the deserts cabinet. While he wanders it is only due to some very careful avoidance tactics that he avoids Sha’re, making himself scarce every time he catches even a glimpse of thick, curly black hair. Her presence on the base is a restless itch under his skin, like a more nerve-wracking version of Schrödinger’s cat: she could potentially be in any room that he walks into. And god, a part of himself that’s been quiet for a long time now is waking back up and aching to find her again but she’s not his Sha’re, that much was made clear during the interview that Mitchell had had to take over because Daniel could hardly form a straight sentence. She has her own Mitchell and Sam and Teal’c and her own SGC and her own _life_. Much as he wants her to be, she is not the wife that he lost.

          Eventually its half past eight and Daniel has tied up his loose ends and finished off reports and translations requested by some of the other SG teams. There’s nothing left to do that won’t have him up all night and he’s not even sure he can fall asleep, not with nerves prickling under his skin. For a lack of anything else to do his plan to go work out his nerves in the gym had seemed good at the time. But naturally, that’s where he runs into Sha’re.

          Her hair is pulled back tight and sweat is dripping down her skin as she exercises her admittedly impressive biceps. He drops his towel when he sees her, and she almost drops the weights.

          “Hey.” Daniel says as Sha’re scrambles to hook the bar back into place. He hasn’t moved from the doorway and is jerked aside when somebody gives his shoulder a rough shove to make him move. He shoots a glance at the offender, some airman he’s seen around the base a few times, then hastily steps further into the room.

          “Hi.” Sha’re says, and they find themselves staring again.

          “Are you, uh…” Daniel gestures to the weights.

          “Oh, no, I was almost finished. I was about to use the rowing machine.” She replies, making a point of grabbing her towel and water bottle and getting to her feet. There’s an exercise bike next to the rowing machines and Daniel heads for that, trying not to feel like he’s following her. They set up in silence and at first it’s just the whir of the bike and her quiet pants of exertion and his puffs of breath before the silence is finally broken.

          “You’ve been dead for almost seven years.” Sha’re says. She doesn’t look at him. Her attention seems to be focused on a punching bag across the room.

          “So have you.” Daniel replies.

          “My Apophis wanted a harcesis but his host was infertile. He chose you.”

          “My Apophis wanted a harcesis, but Amaunet didn’t have a host body to conceive it with. She chose you.”

          “Amaunet’s priestesses stole the child away. She came to find me to learn more of you.”

          “Same thing, but you had a boy.”

          “Ascended?”

          “Yeah.”

          “… Her name is Aziza.”

          “His is Shifu.”

          Sha’re stops rowing suddenly to grab her towel and wipe her eyes. “Oh gods,” she hisses through her teeth, “I have a son.”

          “Well, he’s no more your son than Aziza is my daughter.” Daniel replies, but he knows what she’s feeling because he can feel it too: an urge to meet this part of himself no matter the circumstances of her conception, and a deep longing to see Shifu just one more time so that he can have some small part of his own Sha’re back.

          “Maybe if I’m lucky, he’ll visit.” Sha’re smiles, taking up her rowing again.

          They continue in silence until Daniel’s legs begin to feel numb, finally stepping off the bike and wobbling precariously for a second before finding his feet. He catches Sha’re trying to hide a grin.

          “I know that you’re leaving soon,” she says as he grapples with his towel. “The others have been talking about how you’re going to stop any more of us coming through from our universes.”

          “Yeah. Only problem is once we fix the breach, nobody will be able to go back.” He replies, wiping sweat from his forehead.

          “Well as much as I’d like to return home, maybe staying here wouldn’t be so bad.” Sha’re says. Her voice is wistful and Daniel tries hard not to admit that he wouldn’t mind all that much either.


End file.
